


Going the Distance

by HPfanonezillion



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Marathon, Mutual Pining, Running, marathon training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-04-23 14:51:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4881013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HPfanonezillion/pseuds/HPfanonezillion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas and Newt agree to train for a marathon and hire a coach, but when Newt's old injury prevents him from continuing, Thomas must train on his own. But Minho has a smirk that haunts Thomas and the right motivation to get him ready to run in the big race.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> One of my best friends requested this after we trolled through the Minho/Thomas tags. Feel free to comment. Not sure how long this will be, but it won't be too long.
> 
> Happy reading!

Thomas's phone rang as he was tying his shoes.

"We have a problem, Tommy." Newt said in greeting.

"What sort of problem?" Thomas asked. They were supposed to have their first session with the new running coach Newt had hired. "Don't tell me you're backing out, Newt."

"Not because I want to. I went to see my doctor today and she said my knee isn't healed enough for marathon training."

Thomas sighed. "We already made our first payment for the trainer. I didn't want a trainer in the first place."

"Come on, man, you'll be fine. And once you get through this session, you can cancel." Newt had a smirk in his voice. "You could use a bloody trainer."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just… I'm sorry, Tommy."

"Well, I guess you should ice your knee or something." Thomas grumbled.

A few minutes later, he was out the door and heading to the park where he was supposed to meet the coach. He was working on his stretches when the lanky Asian man made his way over.

He held out his hand. "Minho Kim. Are you Thomas?"

Thomas shook the other man's hand. He had a strong grip. And his brown eyes were calculating. "Thomas Parks. Nice to meet you. Did Newt call you? He said he would."

"Yeah, the knee. Sucks. But it happens. So let's see what you got." Minho guided Thomas through a few more stretches and then stood and said, "Let's get running."

They ran for what seemed like forever and Thomas felt like his lungs were going to explode from his body. He sat down heavily with his bottle of water after the cool-down exercises Minho showed him. He sipped his water and fought to regain normal breathing.

"Do you always look so pained when you run?" Minho asked after a while.

"Excuse me?"

"When you were running. The look on your face was a little painful."

Thomas felt embarrassed. "I don't know. Never looked in a mirror. But I felt like I was dying."

Minho nodded. "Well, you made it through three miles. Not too bad."

"That's all? It felt like ten."

Minho chuckled and clapped him on the back. "Well, we still have a while to go before you're ready for that marathon. But we'll make it."

"Do you have any others you train?"

He shook his head. "Just starting out."

Thomas nodded. He couldn't fire the guy now. He'd feel really bad. "Okay, so how will this work? Newt set it up and I was going to rely on him to tell me the schedule."

Minho pulled his bag over and removed a notebook. He made a couple notes as he spoke. "Well, you made it through three miles with very little trouble, but you were struggling at the end. So we're going to meet every day for an hour. We'll start out slow and work you up to running comfortably. I think it'll take about four months." He looked up and smirked. "And we'll work on that pained expression while we're at it."

Thomas felt his face heating up at the teasing. "Right."

"So we're done for today. I want you to make me a list of your average meals and we'll go over that. I'll tell you what you should cut back on and cut out." Minho stood. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Same time tomorrow." Thomas watched him leave. Then he pulled out his phone to find Teresa had sent him a text.

 _"I'm bored. Where are you?_ "

He sighed and replied. " _Running. Training for a marathon. You home? Wanna make me supper_?"

" _I am home. But make your own supper. I got a shit ton of homework._ "

" _What kind of a sister are you?_ "

" _One that doesn't have time to baby you. Come home and entertain me._ "

" _Sixteen minutes older doesn't mean anything. If I have to make my own supper, you have to entertain yourself._ "

" _Fine. I'll order delivery._ "

Thomas chuckled and reclined on the grass for a minute. Living with Teresa was a constant power struggle. He and his twin had had a falling out over some bad decisions on her part, but she was turning her life around. She moved in with him when she started school. It was rough, but he was glad she was back in his life. All they really had was each other.

He finally got up and gathered his things. He drove home. And for some reason he didn't fully understand, he couldn't get Minho's smirk out of his mind.

* * *

"Hey, I hope you feel like pizza." Teresa said when Thomas walked into the apartment.

He nodded. "Shouldn't eat too much more of that. Training for a marathon now."

She chuckled and closed her textbook. "Why are you doing that again?"

"I used to run in high school, remember?" He kicked off his shoes.

She chuckled. "Yeah, the fifty meter dash and all that. A marathon? Really?"

He shrugged and headed toward the back of the apartment. "I need a shower." He turned back and handed her his wallet. "I should have a twenty in there for the pizza."

"I'll cover it." Teresa said.

He gave a no-nonsense look. "When did you get a job?"

"I sold some stuff." She said sheepishly.

"Teresa." He warned.

"I'm not dealing anymore, Tom. I told you. I had a storage unit full of crap I don't need and I posted it online. I got rid of a bunch of junk. I can help pay rent this month. And I'll keep looking for a job. Promise. Pizza's on me tonight." She shoved his wallet back across the table. "You don't have to take care of everything."

"I used to." He picked the wallet up and headed out of the room. In the shower, he stood under the spray and let the water fall over him. He cooled off some more. And thought more about Minho's smirk. Why was he so fixated on that?

He had never really thought about attractions. Growing up he had put so much focus into keeping Teresa out of trouble and his grades up that it never really mattered to him. He had friends and colleagues that helped pass the time. And dating wasn't a necessity.

He dressed and walked into the living room just as the door closed and Teresa turned around with the pizza. She smiled and waved him toward the kitchen at the other end of the room.

"So tell me about your training. Is Newt any good?" She asked as she handed him a plate.

"Newt had to back out." Thomas said. "His knee isn't healed enough."

She made a sympathetic sound. "That sucks."

"Yeah. But the trainer seems to know his stuff. Got to work an hour every day." He took a bite of his pizza. "I ran three miles, though."

"That's good." She sighed. "Will you help me with my algebra later? You were always better than me in math."

He smiled. "Sure."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. This is going to be a nice little bit of fluff. Let me know what you think. Fine me on Tumblr at booksrockmyface.
> 
> Happy reading!

Minho was determined to be a professional. But the moment he saw Thomas warming up, it became a struggle. He'd definitely had crushes before, but this one was more already. He knew if he didn't figure out a way to contain himself, his only client could become his last.

He sat down at his computer and checked his e-mail. No new requests for a coach. He was tempted to offer his services at an even lower rate, but he was already undercutting a lot of the locals.

He sighed and went about getting some supper made. There wasn't much. He probably should have waited until his coaching took off before he quit his full-time job. Maybe they would take him back at the gym part-time.

He ate his supper and then went straight to bed. But he had trouble sleeping because he couldn't get that goofy, adorable look of Thomas's out of his mind.

* * *

"So, we're just going to jog today and see how far we get before you feel like you're going to die." Minho said as they finished their stretches. "And try to relax your face, dude." He said with a chuckle.

Thomas's ears went slightly pink. "I'll do my best."

"Maybe it will help to think about something neutral. Like your family."

"Not a whole lot neutral with my family." He said dismissively.

"Yeah, same. My mom wanted me to be a doctor. But when I told her I wanted to be a running coach, she flipped a lid. Haven't really had a meaningful conversation with her in a while."

Thomas nodded. "Don't have a mom or dad anymore. Barely had a sister until recently. Closest thing I have to a real family for a while is Newt."

Minho nodded down the path and started jogging. Thomas followed. He kept pace with Minho pretty well.

"My dad died when I was young." The coach said.

Thomas panted. "My dad ran off and then mom died. My sister was a drug dealer."

Minho gave him a sympathetic look. "Sorry to hear."

Thomas nodded.

"Need a break?"

Thomas nodded again.

Minho slowed down and walked toward a water fountain. They took turns taking drinks. Thomas splashed his face with water.

"Are we going to do anymore running?" Thomas asked.

Minho looked him over. "Do you feel like you're dying?"

"Not yet. So maybe we should quit while we're ahead."

"Not a chance." Minho took off again.

Thomas cursed under his breath and followed. Why was he doing this? They had to have been at it for nearly two hours. He stopped and braced his hands on his knees.

Minho jogged a few more feet before he realized Thomas wasn't beside him. He walked back and placed a hand on Thomas's back. "You okay?"

It took Thomas a moment to focus on the words and not the hand resting between his shoulder blades. He stood and nodded. "Yeah."

Minho's hand slid down Thomas's back and then dropped. "Okay, I guess that's all for now." He looked at his watch. "We got in just over five miles in one hour and thirty-seven minutes."

"Is that good?" Thomas asked.

"Very good." Minho made a note in a small notebook he held in his pocket. We'll rest for tomorrow. Where do you do your grocery shopping?"

"There's a little market down the block from my apartment. Why?"

"Text me the name. We'll meet there and I'll help you pick out the ingredients for a couple recipes that will be good for your diet to help maintain proper weight and get you through the race."

Thomas nodded. "Okay. I'll get the name on my why home and text you." Their eyes locked for a moment. Thomas was the first to look away. "I need to get home."

"To your girlfriend?" Minho asked, there was a tinge of worry in his voice.

"My twin sister. I'm perpetually single." Thomas explained.

"Oh, me too." Minho said, almost too enthusiastically.

"Not much time for dating in my line of work." He fished his key out of his pocket and unlocked his car door.

Minho nodded. "Same." He pushed his sweaty hair out of his face. "Text me and I'll see you tomorrow." He walked away to his own car. He watched Thomas drive away, half tempted to follow him, and then headed home.

* * *

Minho's phone went off as he got out of the shower. Thomas had sent him the name and directions to the grocery store near his house. He responded, " _Okay. See you there tomorrow at 6._ "

" _Can we do it later? I have a meeting._ " Thomas responded.

" _Sure. How much later?_ "

" _Just a half hour. Is that cool?_ "

" _Works for me. I have no other plans._ " After he hit send, Minho wondered if it mattered to Thomas if he had other plans or not.

" _Well, then I'll see you tomorrow._ "

Minho responded, " _Tomorrow._ " And then he put his phone away. He stared at it sitting on the coffee table for a while before he decided to open the Facebook app. He typed in Thomas's name into the search bar and easily found the right one. He was happy to find his profile was public.

Minho had never been one for stalking on social media, but he couldn't help himself this time. Thomas was quiet. And kind of cute. And he had said just enough to be intriguing. Minho discovered he was a video game designer, single, and had a dog. One of those little yappy ones. Minho hated those kinds of dogs.

He rested his phone on his chest and imagined himself lying on the couch with Thomas on top of him and a giant dog stretched out on the floor beside them. Nice and homey.

"Stupid!" Minho scolded as he sat forward. Thomas was a client. A devastatingly handsome client, but a client nonetheless. He was not allowed to harbor fantasies about lying on the couch together cozily.

He sat the phone on the charger and went about his nightly routine. He tried desperately to ignore the fact that he was lonely. He didn't even have any friends here. Most of the people had moved away after college or moved on with their lives. They were married or had families. Or were just actual successes.

"What am I even doing with my life?" Minho asked aloud. "Is it even worth it?"

He opened his phone again when it went off with an email. Someone was requesting rates for beginner coaching.

Well, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all. Maybe it just took time. He wrote out a reply, feeling a little better about himself.

So what if he spent several more hours going through Thomas's Facebook photos instead of going to sleep at a dent hour.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it took so long to get this updated, I fell into another story and couldn't seem to get in a groove for this. But I have my mojo back and a lot of encouragement from the besties, so this should have regular updates from now on.
> 
> Happy reading!

Thomas packed up his things as the meeting drew to a close. His boss was still rambling on about upcoming deadlines for the fourth time. But Thomas didn't need to worry about those; he was always at least a day ahead of schedule.

Newt stopped him at the door. "Hey, how's the coaching?"

"I jogged five miles yesterday and I felt like I was going to die." Thomas chuckled.

Newt let out a deep bark of laughter. "That'll pass, I'm sure."

"Wish you could do it with me, dude."

"Me too." Newt nodded.

"Anyway, I gotta go. Minho and I are meeting to do some grocery shopping."

"How domestic."

Thomas shoved his arm. "He's putting me on a diet, jerk." He hurried away, stashing some things in his desk and picking up a couple things to work on at home.

Minho was waiting in his car when Thomas pulled in. It was a beat-up old sedan that Thomas was sure was on its last legs. He thought about offering his mechanical skills, but thought that would be far too presumptive.

"Hey, sorry. Am I late?" Thomas looked at his phone.

Minho shook his head. "No, I'm just early. I usually am when I can be."

Thomas nodded. "Okay. So I need groceries."

"Do you have the list I asked you to make?" Minho took the offered piece of paper and looked it over. He nodded. "Okay, we need to regulate your carbs. And you need more fruits and veggies, man. Not so many starchy potatoes." He folded up the paper and headed inside.

"I like your car." Thomas said, attempting to start a conversation.

"That old thing?" Minho said with a chuckle. "I got it when I graduated high school. I scraped and saved for months. Then I had to borrow money a month after I bought it to get the transmission fixed."

"Does it run okay now?" Thomas asked.

He shrugged. "As well as a twenty year old car can. I think the water pump is starting to go out, but I don't have the tools or the time to look at it."

"You know how to do that?" Thomas was impressed.

Minho stopped in front of the oranges. "My mom is a mechanic. I learned at her knee." He started going through the oranges. "These are a great pre-run snack. It'll help with muscle recovery after a hard run."

"Okay." Thomas picked up a plastic bag and watched as Minho showed him how to pick out the right fruit.

"That should get you started." Minho said after they picked out a dozen. "Now sweet potatoes."

"I thought I was supposed to cut out potatoes."

"Sweet potatoes are different." Minho explained. "They have a lot of extra vitamins and minerals that aren't in regular potatoes."

They went around the store for nearly an hour. At every stop, Minho explained how each item would be helpful.

As Minho placed a can of almonds on the cart, Thomas asked, "So did you learn all this in school?"

Minho nodded. "A little. I majored physical education with a minor in nutrition."

Thomas was impressed. "Nice."

"Yeah, I guess." Minho chuckled. "You have enough for about a week worth of food here, including lunches." He wheeled toward the checkout counter.

"So what do I make with all this? If it doesn't come from a box, I usually don't cook it."

Minho chuckled. "I could send you along some recipes." He watched Thomas unload the cart. "Or I could come over and show you a few basics."

"Yeah, that would be great." Thomas said, a little too enthusiastically. He cleared his throat and moved to the front of the counter to swipe his card. He berated himself. _Way to make a guy feel uncomfortable._

They gathered the bags and moved to the parking lot.

Minho said. "I can come over tonight." He chuckled nervously. "I mean, if you want me to."

"No. I mean, yeah. Sure." Thomas pointed. "I live just down there. The fourth building this side. Ours is the one on the left and you can park out front." He put the bags in the back seat and stepped aside for Minho to put the ones he held beside them.

As Minho stepped back, his arm brushed Thomas's stomach. Thomas gritted his teeth to suppress a moan. He was so unused to any physical contact that something as small as a forearm against his stomach was exciting.

Minho grinned as if nothing happened. "See you again in a bit." He slid into his car and turned over the engine.

It took Thomas a couple heartbeats longer to get into his own car and head home. He pulled out in front of Minho and led the way. It really was a short distance and most of the time he walked.

He parked and unloaded the car, getting everything in one swoop, and led Minho up the front steps. Inside Teresa lounged with a bowl of popcorn and a reality competition show. She smiled and made eye contact with Thomas. "You're finally home." She kept her eyes locked with her brother a moment longer as if to ask, " _Who's the guy?_ " They had tried mind speak unsuccessfully when they were kids, but Thomas could still read her face.

Thomas jumped. "Oh, um, this is my running coach Minho. Minho, my sister Teresa."

"His _older_ sister." She clarified

"By sixteen minutes." Thomas pointed out as he moved into the kitchen area in the back of the house.

Minho chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Teresa."

"And you." She responded.

Thomas said, "Minho is going to show me a healthy recipe. Want to try, Teresa?"

"I'd love to."

Minho joined Thomas in the kitchen and took out the salmon and one of the oranges. "Do you have garlic powder and honey?"

"Sure." Thomas dug in the cabinet and found the necessary ingredients.

"Okay, before we get started on the salmon, will you cut up those sweet potatoes I left out into cubes? We'll roast those."

Thomas's knife skills weren't the best. His cubes were all over the place. Looking over at Minho, he saw the man was practically a professional chef. After the potatoes were done, Thomas sat back and watched Minho work. He was impressive and Thomas knew he wouldn't be able to replicate the meal any time soon.

Minho placed both pans in the oven and stood back. "It's going to take a bit, but it will so be worth it in the end. So where's your computer? I can bookmark some easy recipes for you while we wait."

Thomas took out his laptop and they sat together at the kitchen table, heads together. Minho typed in the address bar and waited for the page to load. Thomas was distracted by the scent of the other man's skin. It was crisp and a little spicy. Did he use cologne? Or was that just the way his soap smelled?

Thomas didn't realize Minho was talking until he waved a hand in front of Thomas's face. "What's going on there, dude?"

"Just distracted." Thomas said vaguely.

Minho smiled. "Okay. Sure. So I saved a few recipes that may be useful. They're pretty easy, so you should be able to whip them up in just a few minutes."

The timer on Minho's phone went off. Had Thomas spaced out that long? He followed Minho to the stove and watched as he removed both pans. They plated the food and Thomas handed one to Teresa.

Thomas took a bite and his eyes went wide. "Oh, my god! That's delicious. I'm going to need you to cook for me every night."

Minho chuckled. "Maybe next time we can do it at my place."

Thomas nearly choked on his food.

Minho smiled uncomfortably. "I can give you another cooking lesson for your diet." He took a bite and then remembered something and took a sip of water. "Do you have a treadmill?"

"No."

"I do. When it rains, we can work inside at my place." He looked at something on his phone and said, "There's a thirty percent chance tomorrow, so we'll play it by ear."

"They don't cancel marathons for rain."

"Well, for training, it's best not to try until you can jog for more than five miles without feeling like dying." He winked and sat his plate in the sink. "Need help with the washing up?"

It took a moment for Thomas to recover from the wink to respond. "No, I've got it. Thanks."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow, Thomas." Minho nodded and headed toward the front door. "Nice to meet you, Teresa."

"You too, Minho. And thanks for supper. Sure beats popcorn."

"I'm sure." Minho chuckled and winked. "See you around."

He left and Thomas started loading the dishwasher.

Teresa brought her plate in, humming something Thomas didn't catch until she started singing it aloud, "Thomas has a crush."

"I do not!" He exclaimed.

"So why were you staring at Minho all dreamy?" She put her hand on her chin and batted her eyes. "Oh, Minho, you're such a great cook. I would totally love to come over to your house and eat something else." She laughed evilly and hurried away as Thomas started pelting her with water from the tap.

As soon as his sister was locked in her room, Thomas leaned over the sink, looking at his fuzzy reflection in the steel. He sighed heavily. Maybe his sister was right. He'd never really had a crush before. Except on his kindergarten teacher, but he was sure many little boys developed crushes on their teachers…

"I'm doomed." He said aloud, not caring if Teresa heard or not.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long.
> 
> Happy reading!

Chapter Four

     Minho watched the rain for a couple of hours, hoping it would stop before the afternoon. But when he checked the weather and saw that there was no chance of it stopping for a couple days, he reluctantly sent Thomas a text.

     “ _Raining for a couple days. Come to my place and run on the treadmill._ ” He added his address and sent it. He then hurried around the small apartment to get it cleaned up. He knew Thomas should get off in a few hours and he wanted the place to look decent.

     But why exactly? He was a bachelor. Both of them were.

     And Minho thought Thomas was cute. That was enough to want to make a good first impression about his living condition.

     He was just putting the vacuum away when the buzzer went off. Minho pressed the button. “Basement apartment. Come on in.” He unlocked the main door and waited in front of his for the knock. When it came, he jumped and took the two strides to open it. Then he stopped and quietly walked back to the other side of the room. Best not to look desperate. “Just a minute.” He called. He took a calming breath and then opened the door.

     “Hi.” Thomas said as he stepped into the room with his bag. “I was at a meeting away from the office and didn’t have a chance to change.” He indicated the bag in his hand. “Do you mind if I…?”

     “Not at all.” Minho waved for him to follow through his bedroom, which he didn’t clean, and pointed to a door. “Bathroom’s through there. Do you have a water bottle?”

     “Yeah, and it’s full.”

     Minho nodded and they stood awkwardly for a moment before Thomas stepped out of the room. Minho occupied his time unfolding the machine and pulling it out into the middle of the room. He plugged it in

     Thomas stepped out in a t-shirt and shorts. “I just left my stuff in there, if you don’t mind.”

     “Yeah, that’s fine. Start your stretches.”

     Thomas went through the routine while Minho watched. Thomas finished his floor stretches then stood and did several lunges around the room followed by holding onto the wall and swinging his legs back and forth.

     “You need to try something new. We don’t need you hurting yourself. Put your hands on your hips.” He walked behind Thomas and placed his hands on top of the other man’s. “Now, you need to twist your hips in a circle. Like SpongeBob, bring it around town.”

     It took Thomas a moment to move and then he started twisting his hips in an awkward circle. Minho stepped back and it became a little more fluid. Minho couldn’t keep his eyes off the way Thomas’s ass looked in his shorts.

     Minho cleared his throat. “Now go the other way for a bit.” He let himself take in an eyeful as Thomas smoothly rotated his hips. He finally walked toward the treadmill. “Time for some walking.” He started pushing buttons.

     Thomas got on the machine and started walking slowly. After a couple minutes, Minho increased the speed. He did it a couple more times until Thomas was jogging. He stepped back and set a timer on his phone.

     Minho watched the pained look cross Thomas’s face. “You need to relax your face, dude.” He said.

     “Trying.” Thomas panted.

     “Try harder.” Minho commented. He walked around the machine. “Drop your shoulders and straighten your back.”

     Thomas lifted his head up and pulled his shoulders back, but his shoulders only rose higher.

     “Come on, get those shoulders down. You’re not helping yourself.” Minho berated.

     Minho slowed the machine down the same way he’d sped it up. He stepped behind Thomas and dug his thumbs into the tissue just behind his neck. “Why are you so tense?”

     Thomas’s head fell forward. “Really stressed at work.”

     Minho worked his hands across the wide expanse of the other man’s shoulders. “You have to leave work away from your training. These are two different things.”

     Thomas let out a soft, appreciative moan as Minho’s hands made their journey back to his neck. It nearly undid Minho to hear such an unbidden, raw response. He could have kept going, moving forward until his front was pressed against Thomas’s back and his lips made contact with the other man’s sweaty neck.

     Minho snapped himself out of the fantasy and stepped off the treadmill and walked away a couple feet. “You really need to find ways to relax after work before you come to training. Your face is all screwed up and your shoulders need to drop down. You’re going to hurt yourself.” He ran his hands through his hair as he tried to calm the way his body had reacted to being so close to Thomas.

     The other man turned to him. “I’ll try.” Thomas examined him and it made Minho even more self-conscious. “Are we done?”

     “Yeah, we are for now. Do your cool-down routine.” Minho said.

     Thomas did as he was told, stretching out all his limbs and muscles slowly.

   “It’s still supposed to be raining tomorrow, so come over and we’ll do all this again.” Minho said, feeling a little awkward. He’d just been on the brink of feeling up his client. His only client.

     Thomas nodded and headed out of the room to change a few minutes later.

     “What is wrong with me?” Minho mumbled to himself as he wiped down the machine and started putting it away.

     Thomas appeared in the doorway. “I’ll be going then?” He didn’t seem like he wanted to.

     Minho watched him a moment and gave a short nod. “Okay. Same time tomorrow?”

     “I’ll be here.”

     “Leave work stress at work.” Minho said as he followed Thomas to the door.

     “I’ll do my best.” Thomas promised. He stood in the open door a moment and examined Minho’s face. What was he looking for?

     Finally Thomas left and Minho shut and locked the door firmly behind him. He leaned his forehead against it with a heavy sigh. Why was he so distracted by Thomas? He wasn’t even Minho’s normal type. He usually went for guys with a little more confidence. And who were the exact opposite of an athlete. He thought he needed someone to complete those sides of him.

     He pushed away from the door with a sigh and finished putting the treadmill back in its corner out of the way. He went to his cabinets and started assembling dinner from his meager stock. He really needed more clients.

     He ate his supper in front of his computer as he searched through local runner forums for people in search of trainers. He made another post on Craig’s List and even searched out yard sale sites on Facebook to post his credentials. He printed off a dozen more fliers to bring to the nearest laundromats and coffee shops with community bulletin boards.

     He would spend the next day passing them out. Maybe even stand on a corner. He was growing desperate and he knew if he didn’t find out something soon, he may have to stop training Thomas. And then he wouldn’t get to see him every day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably only about three chapters left. I hope you like what's coming. Please let me know what you think.
> 
> Happy reading!

The day before at Minho's apartment had been tough. Thomas was extremely grateful for the back rub and he would have gladly let Minho keep going. Too bad he didn't.

Thomas sat at his desk and stared out the window. The rain pelted it with so much insistence it was almost as if it wanted him to go to Minho's apartment again. And Thomas was a little happy about it. He liked Minho. He really did.

But he needed to get rid of the stress he felt at being in his presence. All he really wanted to do was grab Minho up and slam him against a wall and kiss him until neither of them could breathe. And maybe that was the problem.

Thomas looked up at the clock to see his day was done. He shut down his computer and gathered his things and hurried home. He knew a perfect way to relieve the stress. He just hoped Teresa wasn't home.

Thankfully, she wasn't. Thomas stripped down in the bathroom and stepped into the shower. He relieved the pressure that had been building since he first met the handsome running coach. The session today would, hopefully, be much better.

Thomas turned on the shower to wash away his mess and to quickly clean himself. He got out, dressed for a run, and headed out to Minho's apartment.

Minho opened the door and waved him in. He was on the phone. "Could you hold on?" He took his phone away a moment. "Start your stretches, Thomas." He put the phone back. "Yes, so let me get your name and we'll set up your first session."

Thomas went through his warm-up and watched the other man move around the room. He'd enjoyed the way his name had dripped off Minho's lips. He listened to the rest of the conversation.

"I have a client at that time. Can we do the hour later or the hour before?" Minho paused and glanced toward Thomas. "I'm not sure that's an option. And especially not for a first session. I need some one-on-one for an evaluation." He turned away and nodded to himself. "Okay, Saturday at noon. Meet me in the park."

Thomas tuned him out as Minho finished up with the conversation. He swung his hips around in a wide circle. Maybe he was overdoing it a little by sticking his ass way out, but he didn't care. He hoped Minho felt the same about him.

Minho put down his phone and walked toward the treadmill in the corner. "How was your day?" He asked as he got the machine set up.

"It wasn't bad." Thomas said, straightening up and stretching his arms out above his head.

"Good." Minho looked him over. Was it Thomas's imagination or did Minho's eyes linger on his chest? "You look a lot more relaxed today. Let's see if that face follows." He pointed at the treadmill. "Hop on, Thomas."

Thomas followed his coach's instructions and started out at a walk. He worked really hard to keep his face relaxed as Minho moved the speed up on the machine. Thomas knew he was going to fail as he went at full run.

His breathing became restricted. His chest hurt and he was about to beg for Minho to slow it down when the coach reached up and pressed the arrow down. He started to regain his breathing as Minho stepped the speed down by increments.

"Do your cool-down stretches. I'll get you some water." Minho made his way into the kitchen.

Thomas nearly fell down as he did his final stretches to prepare his body for recovery. He finally just lay down on his back and stared up at the ceiling.

"You ran an extra three minutes at full speed." Minho said as he dropped down to the floor and extended a glass of water to Thomas.

"Is that why I feel like I'm dying?" Thomas pushed himself up on his elbow and took the water.

"Sip, don't chug." Minho warned. "You'll make yourself sick and I don't want to clean that up."

Thomas chuckled and pushed himself up some more. He felt awful, but there was something in Minho's face that seemed to appraise him almost hungrily. He felt his face heating up and finished the water.

"How do you feel?" Minho asked.

Thomas nodded. "Better."

Minho smiled. "You did a lot better keeping those shoulders down, but the face still needs work."

Thomas chuckled. "I'll keep trying."

Minho laughed. "I hope so. Need some pretty pictures for my brochures." He clapped Thomas on the shoulder and stood. He held out his hand. "I'll get you some more water."

"Thanks." Thomas handed over the glass and tried to stand.

"Stay there, man." Minho said, hurrying to the kitchen.

"So was that call a new trainee?" Thomas asked, watching the other man move behind the counter.

"Yes. Finally." Minho poured another glass of water and walked back to Thomas. "It's been rough starting out." He sat down beside Thomas once more. "But maybe I'm about to get a flood."

"I hope so. You're a good coach." He took a long drink of water. "I'm starting to feel better."

"I'm glad." Minho smiled and lit up his whole face. "I'm going to keep pushing you, man. You're getting there, though. By this summer you'll be ready."

Thomas nodded. He'd gotten lost in the way Minho's mouth moved and had to shake himself. "Yeah, thanks." He hoisted himself up. "I better get going. I'll see you tomorrow."

Minho hesitated a moment and then nodded. "Sure. Tomorrow." He followed Thomas to the door. "And whatever you did to get rid of that stress, keep doing it."

"Yeah." Thomas said. He sat the glass down on the counter on his way out. "I'll definitely be doing that." He would probably be doing it as soon as he got home.

Thomas hurried out the door and into his car. He made it home just as Teresa did and he grumbled. She wouldn't let him rest.

But then he saw a young man her age following her to the door and he relaxed. If she had company, she'd leave him alone for a while. And his alone time in the shower wouldn't be interrupted.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter after this. I hope you've enjoyed all this fluff. And I'd really love to hear what you think of the events at the end of this chapter.
> 
> Happy reading!

Minho was disappointed when the rain cleared. His time spent in close quarters with Thomas had been wonderful. After the run, while Thomas sipped water and cooled down, Minho had asked him all sorts of questions. He learned more about the other man's sister and all his interests outside running.

"Video game designer, eh?" Minho asked. Like he didn't already know it.

"Yeah. It's a blast. I played games all the time when I was a kid and when I grew up I wanted to learn how they were made and all that."

"Was it hard starting out?" Minho asked, moving closer.

"Yeah, but I moved up quickly. There was a glitch that happened in one of the programs and no one could figure it out." Thomas explained. "I stayed in the office one weekend, I only went home to shower, and figured it out. I fixed it just as everyone started coming in for work on Monday morning. I got a promotion on the spot."

Minho was already impressed before that. He wasn't very good with technology.

The next morning the sky cleared and he sent a message to Thomas, " _Running at the park today. The usual place._ "

* * *

The weather stayed clear for several weeks. Thomas felt himself growing better. He no longer felt like he was dying when Minho called the run to an end.

The end of every run was the same, even though Minho now had three other runners to train. They'd sit and sip water and talk about Thomas's progress. Eventually it turned into a discussion about life after the marathon.

"I think I'll keep running every day." Thomas said. "Maybe not training."

"So am I fired?" Minho asked with a sideways smile.

Thomas shrugged. "I don't know."

Minho looked away. "Well, I hope that even if you decide to move on, that you still keep me posted on your running."

"I will. We should be friends on Facebook. I'll add you tonight." Thomas stood and stretched. "Good luck with your next client."

Minho chuckled. "Thanks. I'm going to need it." He'd lamented his difficult client that complained about everything.

Thomas drove home feeling lighter. He realized as he gathered his things to go inside that he hadn't heard Minho tease him about his weird faces while running. He wondered if it was better or if the coach had just finally given up.

Teresa greeted him from the midst of a study group. "How was the run?"

"Great!" Thomas said. He smiled and wrapped his sister in a sweaty hug.

She squealed and pushed him away. "Get away from me!" She laughed. "We made some nachos. You want some?"

"No, thanks. I'll make something when I get out of my shower." He hurried off to the shower, taking his time washing up. And, as had become his routine, he pleasured himself. He only wished Minho was in the shower with him.

They hadn't touched much in weeks. Not since that backrub in Minho's apartment. Thomas tried not to show how much he craved to be close to Minho, but they still gravitated toward each other once the run was over.

Thomas stepped out of the shower and heard his phone ringing. He smiled at Minho's name on the screen and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Thomas, it's Minho." The other man said in greeting.

Thomas grinned. Minho always did that when he called. "Hey, Minho. What's up?"

Minho sighed. "Well, my difficult client is s no-show and I can't get him on the phone, so I have a free evening and I was wondering if you'd be interested in coming over to my place for supper."

Thomas's heart sped up. "Yeah, sure." He wedged his phone between his ear and shoulder and wrapped his towel around his waist. "When should I come over? Do I need to bring anything?" He scooted out to his bedroom, trying not to be noticed by his sister and her study group.

"Just bring yourself whenever you're ready." Minho said. "I got everything else. I'm celebrating and I need your help."

"Okay. I'll be there in about a half hour." Thomas looked through his drawers. Nothing he had seemed like it could work. He didn't want to be overdressed, but he also didn't want to be underdressed. He groaned as he held up his fourth shirt.

Teresa tapped on the door as she called, "Hey, what are you doing in there?"

Thomas ran his fingers through his hair and opened the door. He held up a dark blue polo shirt and a green button down. "Which of these shirts is nice enough for dinner with my coach?"

"Your coach?" Teresa looked him over. "Is this like a date?"

Thomas felt his face flush and shrugged. "I don't think so." He looked at his pants. "Are khakis too dressy for a dinner I don't know is a date?"

Teresa stepped forward and took the green shirt from him. "Wear the blue. It'll make your eyes pop." She watched him pull the shirt on and then reached up to smooth down his hair. "Do you have protection?"

Thomas shook his head. "It's not like that. He's my running coach."

"Who asked you over to dinner on a Friday night." She hurried out of the room and came back with a small square of plastic. "Put that in your back pocket. And if you don't use it tonight, just keep it for whenever it _does_ happen."

"Teresa." He sighed.

"Do it for me, Tom." She smiled and left the room to return to her study group.

Thomas finally left, anxiety weighing him down. This was just a casual dinner with his running coach, nothing more.

Minho answered the door wearing a plain white shirt and dark wash jeans. He looked amazing and Thomas stumbled over his greeting as a result.

"Hi." Thomas finally said as he stepped into the apartment and followed Minho to the kitchen. "Can I help with anything?"

"Just about done." Minho said with a grin. "You like tilapia?"

"I've never had it." Thomas admitted.

Minho took out a large bowl and started to assemble a salad. "It's nice and light. I put on a little olive oil and some salt and pepper and bake it. Quick and easy. Healthy."

Thomas grinned. "You do well with that."

Minho shrugged. "I try anyway. I still eat a lot of delivery pizza when I'm tired. Which has been a lot more lately now that I have clients pretty much every day." He sat the salad in the middle of a small round kitchen table where two plates and water glasses already sat. "Do you like wine?"

Thomas smiled. "I mostly drink beer when I have alcohol. My sister is a wine drinker, though. She makes me share a bottle with her about once a month."

Minho chuckled. "Well, I love to have a glass every once in a while, if you would like to join me. I have a white that pairs really well with tilapia."

"I'd love a glass." Thomas accepted the glass Minho offered and took a sip. It was a little dry for his liking, but had a decent fruity finished. He nodded. "Nice."

Minho grinned and took a large sip of his own wine and turned to the oven. "You can take a seat if you want." He sat the pans on top of the stove to cool before serving.

Thomas said, "I can help."

Minho hesitated a moment and then nodded. "I have this." He plated the food and sat the pans in the sink. "Come on. Eat up."

Thomas took a bite. "Mm." He said appreciatively.

Minho chuckled. "Good, huh?"

Thomas nodded and swallowed, taking a sip from his wine. "You could make a good living as a chef."

"Maybe if this running thing falls through." Minho grinned.

Most of the meal passed in companionable silence. Thomas watched him from across the table, examining his features like he never was able to do before. He was a very handsome man. His lips always seemed to be curved up into a smile. His brown eyes were a couple shades darker than the ones Thomas saw in the mirror every day. He never really liked his own brown eyes, but on the other man, they were magnificent.

Minho broke into Thomas's thoughts. "Would you like more wine?"

"I'd love some." Thomas said, holding out his glass. "So chef and running coach. What else do you do?"

"Not much." Minho admitted. "Most of my friends moved off after school and I've been trying so hard to keep my head above water that I really haven't done much other than work for quite a while."

"Do you date?" Thomas asked tentatively.

Minho watched him a moment before he said, "Not lately."

"I've never dated." Thomas admitted. "I've actually never really figured out…my type." He swallowed and finished his glass of wine. He reached for his water and drank that. He was nervous.

Minho nodded and sat back in his chair. "I've known most of my life. But I've kind of been ignoring it."

Thomas let out a long breath. It was a relief to hear someone else had the same feelings. "Why have you ignored it?"

"It just…" Minho shrugged. "It didn't matter." He watched Thomas a little longer and then he stood and walked around the table. He placed a hand on the side of Thomas's face and leaned down for a kiss.

Thomas was caught off-guard a moment before he reached up and grabbed the front of Minho's shirt, pulling him closer.

Minho pulled back. "Have I crossed a line?"

Thomas opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again and pulled Minho in for another kiss.

Minho hauled Thomas to his feet while they still kissed. Minho guided them to the bedroom. He and Thomas tumbled onto the bed, kissing and groping. Thomas moaned into Minho's mouth.

Minho echoed the moan and pressed his erection down against Thomas's. "You're so cute." He sighed as he moved his lips down Thomas's neck.

Thomas felt the fire start to burn under his skin every place Minho's mouth and hands touched. He grabbed handfuls of the other man's shirt and started tugging. He longed to touch his bare flesh.

But it wasn't right. "Minho." He gasped. "I can't." He pushed Minho away and hurried out of the room.

"Thomas, wait." Minho called as he followed.

Thomas stopped at the door. "I'll pay you for the rest of the training sessions, but I can't be around you anymore. It's not right." He left, cursing himself for everything.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last chapter! Thank you so much for reading! And keep your eyes out for more Thominho from me (but it's going to be a while).
> 
> If you are desperate for something now, though, go check out Doodles by writingbutunpublished. She's my bestie and helped me through the writing of this. Her story is even cuter than this one.
> 
> Happy reading!

Thomas still ran every day, thinking about Minho every time. He missed the gentle prodding and encouragement. He also just missed the presence of someone beside him. Minho didn't always run with him, he didn't have to. But when he did it was a nice, silent companion to motivate him to keep going.

As he walked back to his car one afternoon, he caught sight of Minho with a different client. Thomas watched him a moment. Minho didn't see him there. He stood with his hands on his hips, his back straight, his shoulders down. The woman he was watching ran around the circular track laid out in the perimeter of the park. She was good.

Thomas turned his attention back to Minho. He had twisted around and was now looking at Thomas. Minho raised his hand and Thomas could see his name forming on the other man's lips.

Thomas shook his head and got in his car, driving away as fast as he could.

* * *

The morning of the marathon, Thomas woke up early. He went through his routine and readied himself mentally. Ate a good breakfast. Teresa drove him to the starting point. She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek.

"Watch where you put your feet." She said, still holding him close. "I'll be at the finish line."

She finally let him go, but he stayed close. "Thanks, sis." He took his cell phone out of his pocket. "Hold onto that for me, will you?"

"Can I text your boyfriend?" She teased as she took it and stuffed it into the bag she carried.

"I don't have a boyfriend." Thomas said.

Teresa laughed. "You mean you still haven banged your cute running coach?"

Thomas looked down. "I haven't been running with him."

She touched his shoulder and waited for him to look up. "Since when?"

"Since after that dinner. I didn't want to think about it." He looked down again. "Anyway, I'm going to finish this race and then I'm moving on."

She sighed and shook her head. "Whatever, Tom." She ruffled his hair. "I'll see you at the end." She kissed his cheek again and went back toward the car.

The run was easy. He was in the middle of the pack for most of the race. He saw a few people on the sidelines the closer he got to the end that looked burnt out for going too fast too soon. He felt himself falling behind and he went with it. He didn't need to be the fastest, he just wanted to finish his first marathon.

When he got to the end, he looked up and saw the number. Four hours, thirty-seven minutes, twenty-six seconds. Not too shabby.

Teresa found him just as he sat heavily on the sidelines. She handed him a bottle of Gatorade and sat down beside him. She said, "I'm proud of you." And then they lapsed into silence.

Thomas took out the blanket and banana he'd stashed in the bag Teresa held onto for him. He slowly ate the banana and sipped his drink as he watched the last runners cross the line.

"I'm ready to get home." Thomas finally said.

"Then let's get you home." Teresa stood and held out her hand to help her brother up.

"Make sure you take an ice bath sometime tonight." A familiar voice said behind them.

Thomas turned.

Minho smiled. "That's a good time, by the way."

"Thanks." Thomas looked over his shoulder at Teresa. She took a couple steps back to give them privacy.

"I'm sorry about what happened at my apartment." Minho said. "I never wanted to scare you away."

"It wasn't your fault." Thomas said. "I wanted it to happen, but I… You were my coach, Minho. It wasn't right."

"But I'm not anymore." Minho said.

"No." Thomas felt his mouth quirking up in a relieved smile.

"So?" Minho's own grin was firm on his face and he watched Thomas expectantly, his eyes darting over Thomas's shoulder to Teresa.

Thomas looked around him at the gathering crowd. His sister watched them curiously. Thomas laughed at her expression and turned back to Minho. Thomas grabbed the front of Minho's shirt and pulled him in for a kiss.

After a stunned moment, Minho wrapped his arms around Thomas and pulled him close, deepening the kiss. Thomas's arms found their way around Minho's waist and they continued to kiss for several long moments.

Teresa tapped him on the shoulder. "People are staring."

Thomas waved his hand and continued to kiss Minho.

"Guys, you need to stop." Teresa said. "You're embarrassing me."

With a sigh, Thomas and Minho finally parted.

Minho said, "I have a tub and plenty of ice at my place."

"I don't have extra clothes." Thomas said with a grin.

Minho looked him over. "We wear the same size."

Thomas looked over his shoulder to Teresa. "Don't wait up." He slipped his hand into Minho's and followed the other man to his car.

* * *

Thomas got out of his ice bath and wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked into the kitchen to find Minho mixing up a smoothie. Minho smiled and poured it into two glasses and slid one across the counter, appraising Thomas's towel-clad form.

"How do you feel?" Minho asked.

"Amazing. But I know that's not going to last." Thomas laughed. He sipped his smoothie. "So what's next coach?"

Minho walked around the island and wrapped an arm around Thomas's waist. "I'll make you a nice meal. A massage would probably be a good idea, if you're up for it. Relax. Probably sleep."

Thomas smiled and nodded. He pressed a kiss to Minho's lips. "Can I stay here?"

"You can stay as long as you want."

Thomas placed his hand behind Minho's head and pulled him in. "We'll just take it a day at a time."

Minho smiled. "Sounds good."

When their lips touched, all Thomas wanted to do was stretch out with Minho on the bed and kiss until their lips were swollen.

Minho must have had the same idea because he broke the kiss and took Thomas's hand to lead him into the bedroom. He paused and dug in his drawers, handing over some clothes for Thomas to put on.

Minho stretched out on the bed, turning away for a moment as Thomas dressed. Then Thomas lay down beside him. They touched slowly, hands moving over arms and shoulders. Their lips brushed in sweet kisses.

"Roll over on your stomach." Minho offered after a while. "I'll massage your legs."

Thomas stole another kiss and then rolled onto his stomach. "I'm glad you were there." He said as Minho massaged his legs slowly.

"I couldn't leave you hanging." Minho said. His hands slowly moved up Thomas's calf then moved on to the next. "You were my first client. I wanted to see how well you'd do."

"Well, I appreciated it." Thomas felt his adrenaline starting to drop and he was now about to crash. "Getting sleepy." He mumbled into the pillow.

"You should nap." Minho's hands were now on Thomas's lower back. "And I'll cook." He leaned over Thomas and kissed his cheek. "I'm just in the other room if you need anything."

"Hmm." Thomas was starting to drift off. "Thanks."

"My pleasure." Thomas heard just before he finally let himself go to sleep.


End file.
